SBC has announced the selection of five innovative startups for the 2026 edition of its First Pitch competition, in collaboration with BettingStartups. These finalists will leverage artificial intelligence and other technologies to tackle various challenges within the betting and gaming sectors.
The competition is set to take place on October 1, where Betsy, Gmonitor, InsightPlay.ai, Safefy, and Whizgen AI (Whizdom AI) will present their ideas on the Product Innovation Showcase Stage at SBC Summit 2026.
Each participating startup will have three minutes to pitch their product and outline their growth strategies, followed by a three-minute Q&A session with a panel of expert judges.
The winner will receive a substantial prize package valued at €139,400 ($162,375), which includes technology services, marketing support, legal assistance, and exhibition opportunities designed to facilitate the company's next growth phase.
Betsy is a social prediction gaming platform that transforms bets and predictions into shareable content. Gmonitor utilizes AI to monitor market activities, including promotions, games, advertising, rankings, and regulations, thereby providing valuable competitive insights.
InsightPlay.ai offers autonomous AI agents focused on player acquisition, retention, reactivation, and customer support. Safefy employs AI to scrutinize transactions for suspicious activities and potential losses, while Whizgen AI delivers tools for player support, personalized game recommendations, and identifying players at risk of leaving an operator.
This competition is part of SBC Summit's expanded Startup Hub, hosted by BettingStartups, which features exhibition space, networking opportunities, and startup-centric content aimed at connecting emerging companies with investors, operators, and potential commercial partners.
“This year’s finalists stand out due to the diverse range of problems they are addressing—from player retention to transaction monitoring and competitive intelligence,” remarked Paul Mills, Senior Event Director at SBC. “Each startup is tackling a significant industry challenge, albeit from unique perspectives.”
“The judges will certainly have their work cut out for them given the impressive talent on display this year,” Mills added.
The prize package includes a year of API access to sports, gambling, and engagement data from Are You Watching This?! and MetaBet worth €42,000 ($48,922), a 3x3-meter booth, and additional benefits from SBC Events valued at €15,000, along with six months of advertising and editorial support from SBC Media worth €11,000.
Additional prizes consist of €10,000 in AWS promotional credits, a 12-month subscription to the CertiIQ compliance platform valued at €7,400, a €5,000 marketing package from Square in the Air, €4,000 in gaming-related legal services credit from Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, a €3,000 branding or web design package from Vegas Kings, and a GameOn media package worth €2,750.
The judging panel features Rob Duboff from Velo Partners; Willy Joseph, Global SA Leader for Games, Betting & Gaming and Sports at Amazon Web Services; Paris Smith, Founder & CEO of Defy the Odds; Tom Waterhouse, Founder and CIO of Waterhouse VC; and David Williams from Discerning Capital.
“First Pitch offers founders a unique platform to showcase their creations in front of individuals who can help propel them forward,” stated Jesse Learmonth, Founder of BettingStartups and host of SBC First Pitch. “While the pitch itself may be brief, the connections, feedback, and discussions that arise from it can have lasting effects.”
SBC Summit 2026 is expected to attract over 40,000 betting and gaming professionals from September 29 to October 1 at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena.